Callington Hotel and ex Marina St Vincent boss Stephen Marks given 21 days to pay $207,000 bill or face bankruptcy bid

An embattled businessman and pub owner has been ordered to pay a court bill or face possible bankruptcy.

The historic Callington Hotel which Stephen Marks is renovating.

A publican and evicted marina manager has been given 21 days to pay a $207,200 bill or face potential bankruptcy.

Berth owners of the Wirrina Marina have issued a bankruptcy notice to Callington Hotel owner Stephen Lindsay Gordon Marks seeking payment of court ordered costs against him.

The notice, a copy sighted by The Advertiser, was served on Mr Marks on March 23 giving him 21 days to pay the debt, or negotiate a settlement, to avert likely Federal Court bankruptcy proceedings.

Mr Marks can apply to have the bankruptcy notice set aside within the 21 days.

In February the District Court ordered Mr Marks reimburse 75 berth owners $207,240 they paid for a court-appointed forensic accountant during a four-year civil claim against his company – Marina St Vincent operator New Wave Aerospace – over misuse of lease fees.

Stephen Marks has been ordered to pay $207,200.

Trevor Gadd and berth owners at Marina St Vincent have threatened to bankrupt Mr Marks

The accountant found $658,166 had been paid out of the marina accounts to related entities of which, the court heard, Mr Marks had a direct or indirect interest.

Mr Marks placed NWA in liquidation in August to avoid a damages ruling against the company in the class action but berth owners went after him personally for legal costs.

The State Government kicked NWA out of the marina in April over the company’s failure to pay a $200,000 dredging bill.

The Advertiser revealed that another of Mr Marks companies had, in February, paid $250,000 for a block of land in Callington on the same street as the hotel he was renovating.

The Courier newspaper reported in March that Mr Marks had spent $700,000 on the refurbishment. He reportedly told the paper the pub would reopen at the end of April.

In January the Bendigo Bank forcibly sold a beachfront house at Carrickalinga, which had been owned by another of Mr Marks’ companies, New Wave Australia.

Berth owner and lead plaintiff in the marina class action Trevor Gadd said the litigants had received no correspondence from Mr Marks in response to the payment demand.